1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to soil additive compositions and methods for using them to promote the healthy growth of plants while reducing or eliminating the need for pesticides.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Grass turf and other cultivated plant crops are often grown using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. While these materials support a highly productive agricultural environment, the use of pesticides produces a soil environment substantially different from the natural soil ecosystem which has been characterized as a foodweb in which plant species evolved Natural systems are characterized by a rich and diverse biomass activity with bacteria and fungi at the lowest level and predators such as protozoa, nematodes, earthworms, and higher level predators such as millipedes, centipedes, beetles, spiders and even small mammals . These organisms perform critical functions such as decomposing nutrients, retention of nutrients in the soil, symbiotic relationships involving transfer of nutrients into the roots, imparting immunity to disease, and controlling population of pathogenic organisms
Prolonged use of pesticides has led to soil environments devoid of the natural bacterial and fungal activities and therefore also the larger predators in the foodweb. Pathogenic microorganisms gradually develop immunity to the pesticides and stronger and more potent chemicals are required. At the same time, these powerful chemicals are broad based toxins in themselves and are increasingly observed as pollutants in the air, soil and water and their use is increasingly regulated, restricted or prohibited.
There is a need for a soil additive which will promote the proper balance of microorganisms in the soil needed for healthy plant growth without or with minimal use of synthetic chemical pesticides. There is also a need for a method for systematically manipulating the activity of bacteria and fungi in soil to promote healthy plant growth.
Some applications of the use of alfalfa as a source of organic material are known. Prior to the availability and wide use of ammonia based fertilizers, alfalfa was been widely used for crop rotation, since as a legume it increased the nitrogen content of soil. Alfalfa is also known as a so-called "green manure", a crop which is cut before it reaches full maturity and then incorporated back into the soil for soil improvement. Ground alfalfa meal and alfalfa pellets have been reported to have efficacy as a fertilizer for roses and irises. Alfalfa meal and pellets are often listed as one of a plethora of sources of organic matter for organic vegetable gardening U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,440 discloses the use of pulverized wheat straw and alfalfa hay in substantially equal volumes as a potting medium to be used as a substitute for peat moss.
Alfalfa often has seeds of wild grasses and weeds incorporated with it which would present a problem if alfalfa would be used to fertilize a grass turf or in other large scale plantings where the wild grasses and weeds are objectionable. Also alfalfa meal or pellets do not quickly wet and incorporate into the soil, and can be blown by the wind or present an unpleasant appearance or interfere with golfers when placed on a grass golf turf.
There is a need for an alfalfa composition which avoids the spreading of weeds, which can be readily applied, and which will quickly disintegrate and incorporate into the soil.
The use of humate materials including peat moss as a potting soil and alternative source of organic material is known.
Calcium oxide and calcium carbonate use for soil pH control and as a plant nutrient is known. Surfactants have been added directly to the soil and to plant leaves.
The combination of these ingredients as proposed in this invention is not suggested in the prior art.